BACKSTORY: Zaheera Mahomed of Mondelēz International

What’s your one top tip for doing a deal?

Know your goals and limits. Understand what you want to achieve and the concessions you can afford to make. This helps you not to agree to unfavourable terms.

What was your first job?

I joined the motor industry as a financial controller straight after graduating from university.

How much was your first pay cheque, and how did you spend it?

It was less than R10,000 and I saved it to buy a car.

What is the one thing you wish somebody had told you when you were starting out?

To be open to moving into new spaces. This can mean different things for different people, but for me it meant being open to exploring new industries and roles even if they didn’t necessarily match my original career goals a lot earlier in my career. I also wish that someone had told me to choose a great boss vs a great company in the early days of my career as there is so much to learn and grow if you have good guidance and mentorship and this can easily be obtained if you work with the right people.

If you could fix only one thing in South Africa, what would it be?

Cutting the cost of doing business and creating jobs by cutting the cost of employing people.

What’s the most interesting thing about you that people don’t know?

I love cars, especially fast cars.

What’s the worst investment mistake you’ve made?

Starting too late both when it came to saving for retirement and diversifying my investment portfolio. In the early years of my career I had a lazy balance sheet.

What’s the best investment you’ve ever made? And how much of it was due to luck?

My first property investment, which was a new development purchased off plan. Buying property off plan can be daunting, particularly if it’s something you’ve never done before. The adage of location, location, location coupled with low interest rates and increased demand as the development came up resulted in a profitable return for me. I think it’s a little bit of luck, doing some homework and trusting your gut. If you have a reliable group of investors who want to share the risk, this also helps.

What’s the best book you’ve read recently and why did you like it?

Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman. I love the book as it describes the tendencies of two types of leaders: multipliers and diminishers. I grabbed the book so I could reflect on this for myself as well as the people I engage with. The book encouraged me to conduct some experiments to work on diminishing attributes (even if accidental) and build lifelong skills to be a multiplier.

What is the hardest life lesson you’ve learnt?

To take things one step at a time. I like the quote by Martin Luther King Jr which says: “You don’t have to see the whole staircase to take the first step.” There will be obstacles and tacks on some steps but keep going.

What phrase or bit of jargon irks you most?

“Going forward”. As if going backwards is an option.

What is something you would go back and tell your younger self that would impress them?

Invest in your personal growth, nurture your passions, and prioritise your wellbeing.

If you were President Cyril Ramaphosa, what would you change, or do tomorrow?

I would prioritise fast-tracking the government’s reform agenda to accelerate economic activity and strengthen the economy.